Tom Daley has admitted he’s still struggling with body dysmorphia as he says people ‘in the gay world have very unrealistic body expectations’.
The Olympic champ, 31, who developed an eating disorder during his diving career, credited his husband Dustin Black, 51, for being a ‘huge support’ in difficult times.
Tom, who has an impressive six-pack, admitted he now finds going to the gym ‘intimidating’, but still goes because he wants to maintain his athlete physique.
Opening up about the ‘dark times’ to Radio Times, the Traitors star said: ‘My husband’s been a huge support in that. I think it’s a big thing in the gay world. Some people have very unrealistic body expectations.’
He added: ‘As an Olympian, I go to the gym and I hate it because I’m like, “Oh my God, everybody’s judging me for how I’m doing this. I find it intimidating.”
Tom revealed his eating disorder started in 2011 at the age of 17 after his diving performance director told him he was overweight.
Tom Daley has admitted he’s still struggling with body dysmorphia as he says people ‘in the gay world have very unrealistic body expectations’
The Olympic champ, 31, who developed an eating disorder during his diving career, credited his husband Dustin Black (pictured), 51, for being a ‘huge support’ in difficult times
He said: ‘I had absolutely no idea what I was doing at that time, so I just cut out food. I used to get so hungry that I’d binge. Then when I binged, I’d feel so bad that I was bulimic for a while.
‘It was a dark time because I didn’t have anyone to talk to about it. Men weren’t meant to talk about their eating disorders back then.’
Body dysmorphia is a mental health condition where a person spends a lot of time worrying about apparent flaws in their appearance. These flaws are often unnoticeable to others, according to the NHS.
Bulimia (bulimia nervosa) is an eating disorder and serious mental health condition. according to the NHS.
Tom previously reflected on his body issues earlier this year, telling Fashion Magazine: ‘I had moments of real struggle.
‘In 2011, my performance director told me that I was overweight and that I needed to look like I did when I was 14 – I was nearly 18 at the time.
‘That was the first time I felt like somebody was looking at my body – not from a performance point of view but by what it looked like.’
‘I struggled with all kinds of different issues around body dysmorphia and bulimia.’
Tom, who has an impressive six-pack, admitted he now finds going to the gym ‘intimidating’ but still goes because he wants to maintain his athlete physique
He told Radio Times: ‘My husband’s been a huge support in that. I think it’s a big thing in the gay world. Some people have very unrealistic body expectations’
‘As an Olympian, I go to the gym and I hate it because I’m like, ‘Oh my God, everybody’s judging me for how I’m doing this. I find it intimidating’
After retiring from diving in 2024, Tom has set his sights on projects including the upcoming knitting show with Channel 4, Game of Wool.
The documentary forced him to look back on the good and bad of his Olympic career.
The diver said he felt particularly alone as a man suffering from an eating disorder.
He added: ‘It was not something that men talked about. It was like, ‘Well, that only happens to girls. So I felt very alone in that experience.’
But while Tom was candid about the darker side of his athletic career, he said he is excited to tell his children about it.
Tom shares two children – Robert ‘Robbie’ and Phoenix Rose – with his husband Lance. They welcomed the twins in 2023 via a surrogate.
The former diver turned knitting extraordinaire explained that over time, his priorities shifted towards his family.
He added: ‘By the time the Tokyo Olympics came around [in 2021], I realised I was more than just a diver.
Tom revealed his eating disorder started in 2011 at the age of 17 after his diving performance director told him he was overweight which had a ‘huge impact’ on his health; pictured 2008
He said: ‘I had absolutely no idea what I was doing at that time, so I just cut out food. I used to get so hungry that I’d binge. Then when I binged, I’d feel so bad that I was bulimic for a while’
‘It was a dark time because I didn’t have anyone to talk to about it. Men weren’t meant to talk about their eating disorders back then,’ he added
‘Between 2016 and 2021, I got married, we had a kid and my priorities shifted.’
Touching upon his changing priorities, Tom said that knitting became a healthy distraction for him.
He explained: ‘During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics; we had such severe lockdowns that knitting actually became my superpower.
‘It allowed me to really stay present and have a healthy distraction.’
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